The Village Hidden in the Waves
by Fudgecicles
Summary: After Danzo takes over as Hokage and starts messing with the city he loved, Naruto leaves Konoha and with a little help forms his own hidden village. takes place right after the chunnin exams.
1. The aftermath

Chapter 1: the aftermath

Danzo was in a hurry. 'Where are those idiots?' He growled to himself. He had been searching for over an hour now. Figures that after the village had been hit a heavy blow they would disappear. They were probably off trying to convince some useless follower of Sarutobi's to become Hokage.

'Hopefully they've come to realize just how incompetent that Old Fool was. All his talk about 'peace' and 'trust'. Well, we've seen were THAT has gotten him. Dead, with a bunch of village to repair.' He turned a corner and..there they were.

"Koharu, Homura!" Danzo called, causing the two to turn. "Where are you too off to?"

"We have some business to go over with Jiraiya." Koharu replied.

'Okay, so maybe not quite so useless, but definitely as foolish as his sensei.' Danzo shook his head. Would they never learn? "Your not going to ask him to become Hokage, are you?" Danzo's voice was filled with shock.

The shock was not lost on Koharu, whose eyebrows rose, even as she asked, "And what would be so bad about that? Jiraiya was the Sandaime's student an-"

"That's exactly what's so bad about it! Have you already forgotten how he died?" The shock in Danzo's voice had stepped down to be replaced by a sudden fury. "Hiruzen didn't die just because he was old, he died because he let his foolish ideals blind him, ideals that he passed onto Jiraiya! And anyway," he continued in a much calmer voice, "I highly doubt he would accept. Such a position of responsibility would make him squeamish. Why do you think Hiruzen didn't make him his successor?"

The two village elders where stunned. Why hadn't they thought of that? Homura was the first to recover. "Well then, what are we supposed to do? We need a Hokage!"

At that, Danzo smiled.

Jiraiya still couldn't believe the announcement. What were Koharu and Homura thinking? Did they want to see everything all the Hokages had worked so hard for be destroyed? Because that's what Danzo would do if he became Hokage. And yet, here he was, standing before the village, being appointed to that very office.

It was disgusting. Sensei had given his life for this village, and a few days later they give the title to someone who would take apart everything. It seemed like that was all the village was capable of doing when they lost a Hokage, betraying them.

Nothing he could do about it now.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Danzo. It was obvious just looking at him. He was gloating. He had finally obtained the position he had been after for quite some time. Jiraiya didn't even listen to Danzo's speech. He was sure whatever it was he was saying was a lie. Whatever promises he was making would be twisted to work in his advantage. That is how Danzo works.

When Danzo finally stopped talking and walked off the balcony of the Hokage's tower, Jiraiya immediately walked off, ignoring the people who tried to get his attention. He needed to have a talk with a couple of council members who had perhaps gone insane.

"Konohamaru, don't." The hand landing on the boy's shoulder obviously surprised him, because he jumped and whirled around.

"D...don't what?" he asked, trying to look innocent. All it did, however, was make Naruto sigh.

"You know what. I know your grandfather's death has been hard for you. I'm sure that you feel that them getting another Hokage so fast means that they are pushing him aside. You were no doubt about to go do something stupid like locking yourself in the Hokage's office and not letting Danzo start his new duties. So I'll give you the facts. Yes, everything the old man has worked for is probably about to be pushed aside." At this Konohamaru's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Naruto's hand. "Wait, let me finish. I've heard some of the Jonin talking about him. Even Ero-Sennin has had quite a bit to say about him, and none of it is good. He believes a shinobi should be completely emotionless. His ideas about where the village should go are apparently opposite everything the old man believed. He's cold, and not above hearting a kid if he gets in his way. Which is why I don't want you doing anything stupid." At this, Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I have a feeling things are about to change. And definitely not for the best."

Konohamaru slumped, looking defeated. "Why would they let someone like that become Hokage?" Naruto just shook his head again.

"Who can say? We'll just have to make the best of things, I guess. Come on, lets go get some Ichiraku's. I could really use some ramen right now." Konohamaru just nodded and silently followed his blond friend down the street.

Danzo looked up as the head of Anbu Root walked in. He quickly pushed aside the paperwork he was currently reading and studied the man in front of him for a few moments before speaking.

"Report."

"We are spread pretty thin. Though we were able to post sentries on most of the targets, several only have one on them." Danzo simply nodded his head, thought for a second, and then continued.

"It seems the potential dangers are too many for us to handle as we are. See what you can do about increasing Root's numbers. Until then we shall have to use some regular Anbu that we know we can trust. Or at least use." Danzo paused, and the Root head merely nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"How many do we currently have on Uzumaki and Uchiha?"

"Two on both, sir."

"That will have to do for now. Both of them are too important to lose. I'm currently trying to put together something we can use to tie them closer too us. I'm not going to just sit back and let the opportunities presented by them go to waste. Unfortunately, they are both rather loose cannons at the moment." Danzo paused, brows furrowed, as he thought about the two youngsters. 'What to do, what to do. They both have the capabilities of becoming extremely strong ninja. I just need to make sure that they are on my side, otherwise they could prove dangerous. While they could benefit Konoha quite a bit by learning powerful jutsus, if they went AWOL they could wipe out several of Root's forces...'

Danzo sat in thought for so long that even with the training he had to go through, the head of Root started to fidget. Eventually he spoke up, "Do you have any additional orders, Lord Hokage?" causing Danzo to look up at him again.

"Yes." he said slowly. "Order all Root watching Uzumaki and Uchiha to watch their training schedules. Until further notice, neither are allowed to learn any B rank or higher technique. I want them firmly under my command before giving them the capability to harm me. Dismissed." The Root head nodded and left the room. 'I hope this works. The two of them are powerful assets. However, it would be better if then were dead than against me...' He shook off his thoughts and got back to all the freaking paperwork he had to go through because of Suna's invasion. He would worry about that if it happened.

Neji was worried. He had heard what the Jonin had been saying about this Danzo guy, and most of it was worrying. Not only that, but he kept his eyes on all day after the ceremony, and he had noticed Anbu on most of friends. Mostly one, but some had two. Even he had a couple who had been trailing him. What did it mean? Why would the Anbu be keeping tabs on ninja of their own village? It made no sense...

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a soft knock on door. He walked over and opened the door, revealing Hinata with a worried look on her face.

"Are you ok?" She asked, causing him to blink.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked in confusion.

"I could hear you pacing and muttering to yourself as I passed your door." she explained, causing Neji to blink again. He had been muttering? That was strange. He nodded and sighed.

"I was just thinking. You can come in if you want. Maybe talking about it will help me gain some insight." he replied. Hinata just nodded and stepped into the room. Neji closed the door behind her. "Go ahead and sit. This might take awhile." He then walked over to his bed and sat on it, while Hinata sat in the only chair in the room.

"What were you thinking about?" She asked once they were situated.

"Did you hear what some of the Jonin were saying about the new Hokage?" Hinata frowned.

"Yes. But still, he is only the Hokage. He can't force us to do anything, after all." This caused Neji to blink. Something about that hit a spot for him. Unfortunately he couldn't quite place that spot.

"Perhaps not, but he has apparently decided to have Anbu watching ninjas in his own village. Most of which were strongly behind the Sandaime's ideas." Hinata gasped and leaned forward, her eyes going wide.

"H-how do you know?" She stammered, her body tensing, almost as though she already knew what he was about to say.

"I've kept my eyes on all day." Neji stated quietly.

"WHAT!" Hinata yelped, jumping up. "ARE YOU INSANE! THAT COULD KILL YOU, OR AT LEAST DO PERMANT DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES!" she was screaming now, forcing Neji to leap up and clap a hand over her mouth to get her to be quiet.

"I know the risks, but I spotted some at the ceremony and noticed them split off and follow people. I had only planned on activating it just long enough to see if I was correct. When I saw a couple following me, I realized that not everyone would notice they were being watched. So I went around and took tabs on our friends and how many were on them. I had to know, in case he is up to something." He explained quickly, activating his eyes once again to quickly check to make sure no one had heard her and was coming to see what was going on. Unfortunately, this left him too exhausted to keep standing, and so he had to stagger back to his bed and collapse on it.

Hinata was instantly by his side, concern etched on her face. "Are you ok?" she asked quietly. Neji nodded and sat up.

"Yeah, just tired." Hinata nodded and pulled back.

"You've used too much chakra. You need to rest." She stepped back and turned to go, only to have Neji grab her arm.

"I'll be fine. This is important. If Danzo is trying to do something, I want to know what it is as soon as possible. I don't want to wake up one morning and find all of my friends dead." Hinata just sighed.

"You're right, but you need to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow. Maybe even ask father." Neji shook his head.

"You don't understand. Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Guy-sensei, they all have Root following them. Even you had one trailing you when you came home. If he's targeting people, he can take everyone down. I know there is little chance that we will figure everything out tonight, but we need to decide what to do. And don't tell your father. The less people who know the better. Besides, he had no one following him, so obviously Danzo hasn't put him on the same list that he has us." Hinata's eyes widened.

"Are you suggesting that father is helping Danzo with what he is doing?" she asked in an accusing tone. Neji just shook his head.

"I don't know. I doubt it, but it is possible. And even if it isn't, Danzo must feel like he has nothing to fear from him. Until we have at least an idea about what is going on, I don't want to tell anyone else." Hinata just nodded and sat back down in the chair.

"Ok then, first thing to do is figure out who all is being followed and how many are following them." Neji nodded.

"On the desk is some paper if you want to write it down." She nodded and turned in the chair so that she was facing the adjacent desk. She pulled out a fresh piece of paper and grabbed a pen. She began writing as Neji listed off everyone who had been followed and how many were on them.

List:

Naruto-2

Sasuke-2

Sakura-1

Kakashi-2

Shikamaru-1

Choji-1

Ino-1

Asuma-2

Neji-2

Guy-2

Tenten-1

Hinata-1

Kiba-1

Shino-1

Kiba's mom-2

Shikamaru's dad-2

Ino's dad-2

end list

"That is everyone I know. The were a few on some people I don't know, though."

Hinata sat and stared for the list for a second, before looking back to Neji. "What were the Anbu doing?"

"Just following as far as I could tell. Why?" Hinata's brow furrowed.

"Because most of the list is genin. Why would he take the trouble of putting Anbu on genin? And two for some of us? I can understand the jonin, but not the genin. Unless he's just using us to see how our sensei act around us." Neji shook his head.

"That would make sense, except why would some of us need two Anbu? So it must have something to do with the individuals as well. But you're right. Why take the trouble to watch genin when they aren't that strong yet?" Hinata's head suddenly jerked up and she stared at him, a small gasp escaping her lips.

"That's it!"

Neji blinked. "What's what?"

"The only three genin that have two following them are you, Sasuke, and Naruto. You and Sasuke are proclaimed geniuses, and Naruto has already proven that he is strong enough to take one of you down. But your all kinda loose cannons!" Neji razed an eyebrow, so Hinata hurried to explain. "Think about it. Sasuke is determined to kill his brother no matter what. He'd do anything. If he feels that Danzo is only going to hold him back, what's he got to lose by leaving to find somewhere that won't put limits on him? The way you acted before you lost to Naruto made it seem like you would do anything to escape the Hyugas. And since we are a clan that is in Konoha, if another village made a good offer that would let you be free of us, what would stop you from accepting? And Naruto loved the Sandaime. Sure, he got annoyed with the system sometimes, but he respected Lord Hokage and probably doesn't like the idea that everything he worked for is about to be destroyed. He's watching you to make sure he can keep you all in Konoha, and if he can't keep you, to get rid of you before you become too powerful." Neji's had jaw dropped halfway through the explanation, and by the end he was nodding his head.

"I guess it does make sense. But what about the rest of you?"

"The same thing, probably, but since we are just normal genin he doubts we could beat one Anbu." Neji nodded, thinking.

"So all he's doing is making sure we aren't going to leave? That shouldn't be too bad then. But we should probably keep watch, just in case something changes." Hinata nodded and stood up.

"Well, it's late, and we both need our sleep." She said, stretching. "Sleep well."

"You too." Neji replied as she walked out the door. He then turned off his light and got under the covers. 'I hope no one does anything stupid..."


	2. Some friendly advice

**A/N:** So I'm rather pleased with the response that I got from the first chapter. I wasn't sure how well i portrayed it, but i seem to be doing ok. i hope to keep everyone entertained.

Chapter 2: Some Friendly Advice

Neji sighed, released the byakugan, and leaned against the wall of the alley he had ducked into when he was far enough from the Hokage Tower. Leaning his head back, he smiled. There were no Anbu watching him anymore. After weeks of pretending, of carefully saying select words where he knew they would get back to Danzo, the new Hokage had finally taken the bait and recruited him. Sure, Neji was still in a very dangerous position, but he had managed to slip suspicion off of him, leaving him a little breathing room to move on to the next stage in his plans.

Sighing again, Neji straightened and walked from the alley back into the main streets of Konoha. He needed to talk to Naruto, who was probably at Ichiraku's, since it was close to lunch time. He made sure to get tabs on the Anbu before actually entering the stand, sitting on the side of Naruto that the Anbu wouldn't be able to see very well. He made no effort to initiate a conversation, and while he wasn't sloppy and improper like Naruto, he did eat with a certain haste.

He hadn't come in here for food, after all.

He payed his check, hand lightly tapping the side of Naruto's bowl as he pulled his hand back. Seeing Naruto blink in surprise, he quickly turned and headed outside the shop before the blond could question him. He hoped that Naruto would be circumspect. He didn't want ROOT to have a reason to resume their suspicions about him.

He still had a lot he needed to do unseen in the safety of Danzo's confidence.

Naruto blinked, and glanced up to see Neji walking out of the shop. He turned his head back too his food and finished off his current bowl. Ordering another, he picked up the note Neji had tucked beside the bowl after paying. He scanned through it, and then blinked. He was being watched? Why were the Anbu watching him?

Naruto didn't know what was going on, or why Neji was helping him since they weren't exactly friends or anything, but he would have to trust him. Well, at least hear him out.

A few minutes later saw Naruto slipping into a bathroom. He made his way directly to the biggest stall, slipped in and closing the door behind him. Instead of going to the toilet, however, he silently pushed on a section of wall described to him in Neji's note. As Neji had said, the wall section pushed out and swung open silently on hinges. He crawled through and dropped to the ground on the other side to find Neji waiting for him.

"Good, you made it." Neji stated. "I'm sure your wondering why I wanted to meet you." Naruto nodded.

"I figured it had to do with the reason I'm being watched, which I don't understand much. What have I done?" Naruto said.

Neji sighed. "You were a big supporter of the way the Sandaime ran things. Danzo doesn't know how much he can trust you." Naruto frowned, looking at Neji questioningly.

"How would you know that?" he asked. Neji allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"I've convinced Danzo that I'm on his side. Which, obviously, I'm not, otherwise I wouldn't be here trying to help you." Naruto blinked, and then grinned.

"That's brilliant! So, um, how are you planning on helping me?" he asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"By giving you some advice." Neji replied seriously. "I think you need to leave the village."

"Wha?" Naruto gasped. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this was definitely not it. "Why would I do that?"

"Because it would be better for you to leave than to stay." Naruto shook his head and stared at Neji like he was insane, but Neji plowed on. "Listen to me. Danzo isn't sure he can trust you, which means he's going to try to make sure that if you are a threat, you are the least possible problem for him to deal with. The best way to do this would be to interfere with your training. As in trying to stop you from learning anything too powerful. Which would give you three options."

By now Naruto was stunned and staring at Neji with a slightly glazed look that plainly said that he was losing track of the conversation. Neji shook his shoulder gently. Naruto jerked slightly, rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"So what are my three options?" he asked sheepishly.

"Well, the first is to stay how you currently, a slightly stronger than average genin, for the rest of your life. The second is to wriggle into Danzo's confidences like I have. This would let you train to be stronger, but you would have to act like you were behind Danzo almost constantly, which would mean visibly giving up everything you believe in and only working from the shadows. For someone like you, this would be extremely difficult, and probably change you at least a little into what Danzo wants you to be. The other is to leave the village and find someplace else to set up. Find some country that needs a new village and get things set up. When you are prepared, I can start sending people who want to get away from Danzo to you. All chances of you becoming Hokage are gone. But if you leave and start up your own village, then you can still become an equivalent of the Hokage."

By now, Naruto was leaning against the wall looking at his hands. When Neji stopped he looked up, and Neji could see the fear written clearly on his face.

"And you think running away is my best choice? You honestly think some stupid idiot like me could actually get away from the Hunter Nin? If so, your crazy. How could a genin get away from elite ninja?" Naruto slumped back against the wall, already looking defeated, but Neji wasn't about to give up. He walked over and laid his hand on Naruto shoulder.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Naruto. I believe you are smarter than you realize. You were smart enough to say exactly what I needed to hear to be pulled out of the darkest time of my life so far." Naruto looked up at him, eyes wide. Neji smiled at his comfortingly. "I want to return the favor. You saw what I needed to do, and you told me. So now that I see what you need to do, I'm telling you. You need to leave Konoha. But don't go alone. Talk to Iruka. He really loved the Sandaime's way, and he likes you well enough, so I don't think he will fight too hard if you say the right things. Which, with your insight, shouldn't be a problem."

"I-Iruka-sensei? You want me to bring Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, clearly shocked. Neji just nodded.

"Iruka isn't much of a fighter, but he's smart. He had to have been to become chunin. You know what those exams are like. Not only that, but once you do settle somewhere, he can start teaching the people there that want to learn how to be ninjas. So out of everyone we can trust, I think he is the best to help you get away. Just make sure that you are circumspect. I don't think the Anbu need to know that you two are planning something. They'd start keeping really close tabs are you, and that is just what you don't need." Naruto nodded.

"I...guess it's worth a try..."

"It's the best choice possible Naruto. Just don't mess it up. As long as you don't do anything too stupid, I should be able to help you from my position inside Danzo's trust. And as soon as you settle down somewhere, send a hawk to me and I'll start helping people get to you." Neji walked over to the other side and pushed open another hidden door, before turning back to smile at him.

"Be careful. Don't forget to flush." With that, he left, closing the wall behind him. Naruto stood there blinking for a second, then understanding dawned. He turned, crawled back into the bathroom, closing the wall behind him. He then flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and left to find Iruka-sensei. The sooner they started planning, the sooner they could leave.

"Hey! Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka turned at the sound of his former student hailing him. Naruto ran up to him and stood for a second to catch his breathe.

"What ya doing?" Naruto asked as soon as he straightened. Iruka raised his arm, which was holding a shopping bag.

"Just finishing up some shopping. Why?"

"Well, you see...I wanted to ask you if you could help me train a little." Iruka blinked. Help him train?

"What about Kakashi? Shouldn't he be training you?" Naruto shrugged and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I suppose he's doing to best he can, but he's been having to go off on several solo missions because of the current shinobi shortage, so he isn't around enough to help me with want I want to do."

"What you want to do?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. Sasuke knows the chidori, which is like a super powerful move and all, but I don't know too many jutsus besides the shadow clone jutsu. So I figured I'd try to learn a few powerful moves myself, but since Kakashi isn't around I'm going to need someone else's help." Iruka smiled a little. Not everyday that someone comes up to him to learn a power move from him. Unfortunately, he didn't know too many strong techniques. That didn't seem to faze Naruto too much when Iruka told him, however.

"That's fine, I was thinking about looking some up in some ninja scrolls, but I need someone to help me figure out where too look. And then you can help me with any questions I might have." Iruka was immediately on alert, though he didn't show it. Naruto rarely asked for help, it just wasn't his way. He would sit there and do a jutsu over and over again until he finally got it right. The only way he would ask for help would be if he had no clue what to do. But to ask for help before he even started? Never. So either this wasn't really Naruto, or this was just a front so that he could talk to Iruka in private. Well, only one way to see.

"I have a few scrolls at home. Why don't we start with those and work on from there?" Naruto beamed at him.

"That would be great!"

"Ok, out with it. What's up?" Iruka questioned as soon as they were safely inside his apartment.

"Iruka-sensei, you trusted the Sandaime Hokage, right?" Naruto responded. The question caught Iruka off guard. Not only was it a weird question to ask, but Naruto asked it like his life depended on it.

"Yes, of course I did Naruto. To become Hokage he had to be powerful ninja, after all." Naruto shook his head.

"I don't mean the position. I mean the Old Man himself. If he hadn't been Hokage, would you still have trusted him?" Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you asking me this, Naruto?"

"I'll get to that in a second. Now please, answer the question."

"Well, I guess so. He was sensible, and genuinely cared about others."

"What about Danzo? Do you trust him?" Iruka's eyebrows furrowed in thought. After a seconds pause, he carefully answered.

"I'm not so sure. I know he opposed a lot of what the Sandaime stood for, and I've heard he doesn't see ninja as humans, just tools..."

"What if I told you that he is having everyone who supported the Sandaime being watched?" Iruka's eyes widened in shock.

"What? He's having us watched?" Naruto nodded. Iruka walked blindly over to one of his couches and dropped into. Naruto settled in the couch opposite him.

"Why? Why would he be following us?"

"Who knows? But right now most of Anbu is being tasked with watching genin and chunin from their own village. That means that he is taking valuable ninja from making sure that other villages aren't planning on attacking us in our weakened state. What does that tell you?"

"That he expects his own ninja to be more dangerous than enemy ninja." Iruka frowned. "But that makes no sense!" Naruto leaned in towards Iruka with and earnest look on his face.

"It does if you take a second to think about it. Why would his ninja be dangerous to there own village? They wouldn't, but they could be dangerous to him specifically. And if he's afraid of that, it means that he's planning on doing something that might turn a lot of people against him. From that I can guess that he is planning on going against what the previous Hokage's have tried to hard to do. So I'm guessing he's going to try to turn the ninja of this village into nothing but tools."

"How did you figure it out?" Iruka asked.

"I really didn't. Neji pointed a lot of out to me. The rest was easy to connect." If possible, Iruka grew even more shocked.

"Neji told you? As in, Hyuga Neji?" Naruto nodded. "Why?" Naruto shrugged.

"Apparently what I said during the exams had a big effect on him."

"Why are you telling me this?" It came out as a whisper. Iruka was struggling to comprehend just what was going on.

"Because I don't know about you, but I don't want to be turned into nothing but a mindless weapon, and I don't want it to happen to my friends either."

"How would you stop it?"

"Neji pointed something out to me. With Danzo in charge, my dream of becoming Hokage is basically over. But Hokage is more than just the leader of the village. It is an ideal. I may not be able to become Hokage in name, but there is still a way for me to fulfill my dream." Iruka's eyes widened even further.

"You don't mean?" Naruto nodded.

"I'm planning on leaving the village. And I want you to come with me."

"Do, do you even know what your talking about?" Iruka was sputtering. This was just too much! Naruto, would stayed loyal to a village even when everyone in it hated him, was now talking about betraying it just because someone he didn't like had gotten into power. It was madness! "Your talking about becoming a missing nin! They won't allow that! And anyway, how will this help you fulfill your dream?"

"Yes, I do know what I'm talking about. And while yes, I will technically be a missing nin, I plan on forming my own ninja village based off what the Hokage's here have established. As for them not allowing us to leave, I wasn't expecting to leave this minute. We will obviously need to plan first, but I think it will be possible." Iruka was staring at him as if he was nuts. Which, to be fair, he kinda is.

"How? How will _any _of this be possible? And not to seem to down on you, but who would follow you?" For all the reasonable argument Iruka came up with, Naruto was surprisingly unconcerned.  
>"How? Well, your smart, Iruka-sensei. With your brains and my boundless energy, I'm sure we will be able to do something about pursuit. Of course the fact that Neji has wiggled into Danzo's confidence and is willing to assist us will help. As for people following us, Neji said he would send some people once we found a place to start."<p>

"And where exactly would we be able to find a place that would let us start a village there?" At this Naruto grinned.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know a place that would welcome us. Of course, we'll have to make sure they have a good reason to believe we aren't going there, because otherwise it might be kinda obvious."

**A/N****: **So I'm honestly kinda disappointed with this chapter. i just don't feel like i was able to capture everything as well as i wanted to, but i can't seem to figure out how to get it down better. for one, i feel like naruto surrendered to neji to fast over the leave konoha issue. i mean, naruto has stuck it out through intense hatred for everyone he knew, so he obviously had some pretty strong loyalty. i just don't feel like i portrayed it good enough, but i couldn't figure out how to make it better. oh well.

with the whole secret passage in the toilet stall, i know it's kinda weird, but naruto needed a way to escape the anbu watching him without them realizing it. and seriously, who would expect a secret passage there? no one. and ninja thrive on utilizing the unexpected. makes a good way to escape though, you have to admit. cause seriously, who watches people use the bathroom?


	3. The escape

**disclaimer: **anything from naruto is not mine. everything else is.

**A/N: ****so i am really proud of how well this story is doing. for only having two chapters out, it has done rather well.**

Chapter 3: The Escape

It had been three months. Three months of training with jutsus, finding valuable scrolls, and plotting their escape when they were sure the ANBU couldn't hear them. Today was the day that they finally put their plan in action.

"Ugh, I need a shower." Naruto stated. He was over at Iruka's like he had been every day possible. They had just finished their physical training for the day, and Naruto could tell he reeked. Iruka really knew how to make the exercises hard, even when they were just there to help cover up.

"Well, hurry up, cause I need to take one too. I don't want you to take an hour again." Iruka grumbled as Naruto laughed and entered the bathroom. Iruka shook his head as he heard the water turn on, then went over and started cooking some eggs. Wouldn't do to run away on empty stomaches, after all. He finished the eggs just as Naruto came out of the bathroom.

"Bout time. Go ahead and eat. I'll get some when I get out." Iruka said as he walked to the bathroom. Hearing Naruto's chuckle, he turned around and added, "There better be some left for me, because if there isn't I will make your life miserable." Naruto gulped and nodded. Iruka had already had some fun when Naruto annoyed him too much. Best to just keep him happy.

After Iruka came out and ate they left for one of the training fields. It was time to help Naruto with his ninjutsu. Since it was a Saturday they academy was closed and Iruka would actually be able to help Naruto learn something today.

"Where the heck is he?" Sakura screamed. She and her team were currently looking all over Konoha. Well, most of her team. Naruto wasn't with them, and he had been supposed to meet with them several hours ago. Hence why they were searching all over Konoha, they were looking for their missing teammate.

"I don't know where the dobe is, but he better have a good reason for this." Sasuke grated. He was furious. Why? Because they had been supposed to get a mission, but Naruto was preventing them. With things how they were, it was likely that they would manage to get a c-rank mission for once, and Sasuke was burning to prove himself. Figures the idiot would go and ruin everything for him.

"Is that him over there, with Iruka?" Kakashi suddenly spoke up for the first time. This whole time he had just been following them with his nose buried in his ever present book. In fact, he still had not looked up from it, but when Sakura and Sasuke looked where he was pointing they saw that Naruto was indeed over there with Iruka.

"Naruto!" Sakura screeched as she stormed over to him. Both Naruto and Iruka jumped and whirled around to look at her. "Where the heck have you been, you were supposed to meet us _hours_ ago!"

"Uhh...I was?" Naruto squeaked, fear written all over his face. He knew what was coming. Sure enough, he was sent flying as Sakura slugged him in the face while screaming "Idiot!".

He hit the ground and slid a couple of feet before...disappearing? Yes, Naruto had disappeared in smoke just like what it looked like when one of his shadow clones...died... "What the heck is going on here?" Sakura asked, turning to Iruka, who smiled sadly at her.

"Dang, we were hoping to have a few more hours..." Iruka said, making the others blink in surprise. "We are sorry. I hope to see you all again eventually." then Iruka also disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"What the heck? Iruka sent a shadow clone too?" Sakura asked, confused.

"That's impossible." Kakashi stated, then sighed when his students looked at him in confusion. "Iruka doesn't know the shadow clone jutsu. Which means that it was probably Naruto's shadow clone transformed into Iruka." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"So your saying Naruto wanted it to look like he and Iruka were here together? Why would he do that?" Kakashi shook his head.

"I would think it would be obvious." Sakura and Sasuke stared at him for a second, before Sakura asked why. Before Kakashi could answer however, two ANBU landed in front of the group.

"I'm sorry, but the three of you need to come with us." the ANBU on the left commanded.

"What? Why?" Sakura asked. Sasuke just stared at them in shock. Kakashi just sighed before explaining.

"Because _obviously _Naruto and Iruka have abandoned Konoha, and they need to question us about their recent activities."

"WHAT!" both Sakura and Sasuke screamed in shock.

Several miles away from Konoha, a young, blond ninja came to a stop on the tree branch he had just landed on and turned to look back the way he had come. His companion landed on the branch ahead and looked back at him.

"Sakura dispelled my clones. They know we left."

"Then we better pick up the pace. We want to be well away from here by the time the Hunter nin start coming."

"Right."

With that, Naruto and Iruka launched themselves away from their trees, traveling faster than before.

"So your telling me that ANBU, the _elite_ of this village, lost track of a _genin and chunin_? Do you care to explain to me just how this is possible?" Danzo growled to the head of ANBU. The poor man was shaking like a leaf in front of his leader's fury.

"Well, according to what the ANBU tracking them reported, we believe that Naruto had created a shadow clone when he went into the bathroom, then hid when it left. Then when Iruka came in, Naruto created another shadow clone and had it transform into Iruka, and they both hid when it left. When the ANBU followed the clones, they were left free reign to escaped." he said as calmly as he could.

"And how exactly did you miss the pops, not too mention the _large quantities of smoke_? Danzo ground out.

"Well, they were taking showers, so the water was able to block out the sound and pull the smoke down the drain." Danzo stared at the man for several seconds, his anger rapidly falling away to shock.

"So the ANBU were tricked by simple bathroom utilities? Whatever." Danzo waved his hand before the man could answer. "How far behind them are the hunter nin?" the ANBU head hesitated a moment before answering.

"We...aren't sure."

"What?" Danzo growled, his anger spiking back up. "How hard can it be? I hardly doubt they were able to block their scents."

"The problem is just the opposite, actually." When Danzo looked at him in confusion, the man hurried on. "When we went to both their homes after realizing they left, we found both homes stripped of anything and everything that could be carried. And their scents were picked up leaving from every gate at the same time. Then, just barely out of view, the each scent splits itself several times, each new pair heading of in a different direction. These too together suggest that Naruto create more clones to carry objects that carried his and Iruka's scents. We have no clue which one is the right."

"I don't see what the problem is. Just assign everyone capable of tracking scents on one. Whoever finds the right one can call for back up if needed."

"I already did. But even then, we were only able to cover half of the trails." Danzo's eye widened in shock.

"You mean to tell me that Uzumaki Naruto created over _two hundred _shadow clones?"

"No sir. That would only be enough to transfer one scent. Since each scent is separate and they travel in groups of two, Naruto had to have created over four hundred shadow clones. And he's still running." the head of ANBU then had the singular experience of seeing Danzo completely and utterly dumbfounded.

Neji's door was flung open so violently it bounced off the wall and slammed closed again. But not before Hinata had stormed through.

"You had a part in this, didn't you?" she screeched at him.

"Your late." Hinata blinked, and Neji looked up from his desk. "I expected you here an hour ago."

"I was on a mission." she growled. "Now answer me. Did you have a part in Naruto leaving?" Neji snorted.

"Of course I did. You don't honestly think he'd just leave, do you? I had to practically push him out the door." Neji's amusement could practically be felt.

"Why?" Hinata yelled. "Why would you do that?" Neji shook his head.

"Please stop yelling. Your going to wake the entire compound." when Hinata glared at him, he sighed. "Would you rather he stayed here and got corrupted by Danzo? Or stuck forever as a genin because he refused to support Danzo? Because that is what would have happened if he had stayed. This way, he gets to leave, and even has the chance to build another hidden village that supports the ideals of the third, and can be a sanctuary for those that don't want to stay underneath Danzo." Hinata blinked.

"Naruto plans on forming another hidden village?"

"Of course he does. Why else do you think he brought Iruka with him? He's going to need someone who can train the locals, and Iruka is the best Chunin instructor that Konoha once had." Neji suddenly grinned at Hinata. "You know, when he finds the place he wants to set up in, he's going to need help. How would you like to help Naruto form a new hidden village?" he asked. "Since I'm the one who's going to be sending people, I can set it up so that you are the only kunoichi there for a while. That would put you at the front of Naruto's female interaction." Hinata suddenly blushed when she realized what Neji was hinting at, and slowly sunk down onto his bed.

"Your really the one who's going to send people to him?" Neji nodded.

"I'm going to be his inside man. I would go myself, but he's going to need someone watching and distracting Danzo for him, so I'm going to fulfill that role. Of course, that puts me as Naruto's only contact at the moment."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one he knows he can trust. Which gives us our first mission from him." Hinata frowned.

"First mission? What do you mean?"

"We need to figure out where people's loyalties lay. It takes more than just three ninja to run a village, especially if one of them is devoted to training new ninjas. Your going to need a full team there, which means four ninja other than Iruka. So we need to find people who can go and be your teammates." Hinata slowly nodded.

"I guess that makes sense. When will we be able to join Naruto?" Neji shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He wants to find a place to set up before others are sent. The lower the number in his party, the easier it is to hide. And right now, hiding is of utmost importance."

"Then we better wait to inform the people we choose until the time comes to leave. No need to get them excited too early."

"I agree."

Several miles away from Konoha, an ANBU swore and came to a stop. This was the third time this had happened to him. Dangling from kunia embedded into two trees in front of him were two headbands.

Each bore the leaf insignia.

He had followed the wrong scents.

**A/N: i really enjoyed this chapter. it's short, which is kinda disappointing, but it was fun to write. especially since Naruto once again used a bathroom to his advantage. and really, who wouldn't love to see Danzo dumbfounded?**

**hopefully my chapters will start getting longer from here on out. i feel rather disappointed in myself when i make you ****month and then deliver a really short chapter.**


	4. On the run

**A/N: YAHOOO! I finally managed to get this stinking chapter out! so, sorry that it took so long, but this chapter has been a major pain in the butt for me. first my computer crashes, then my story file is completely deleted and i have to start over, then my computer crashes _again_, and when i finally get it back up and running i have a lot of projects do for school...not to mention the writer's block i hit...so yeah, this has been as annoying for me as it has been for you. if not more so.**

**however, on a rather happier note, i have finally reached my goal of 5000 words. i actually had hoped to have it be a little longer, but i decided to move a few scenes back in order to get it out to you guys sooner...  
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Chapter 4: On the run

"You know, peeping in the bathhouse isn't such a good idea. If those girls found out, you'd be in big trouble." Jiraiya shrugged.

"Know this from experience, huh?" Behind him, Neji snorted.

"Not likely. I'm not a disgusting pervert like you. I've just seen it happen to Naruto a couple of times."

"Oh yeah? Well, if you aren't here to peep, why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Your student, Naruto." Jiraiya turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Whoever said the kid was my student?"

"I know you trained him for the chunin exams." Jiraiya opened his mouth, but stopped when Neji raised his hand. "No, I'm not here to ask you for training. I am perfectly fine with the training I've been getting."

"Ok then, why do you want to talk to me about Naruto?"

"I just wanted to see if you knew he had left the village." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"That all? Couldn't you just ask the mission dispatch area?" Neji shook his head.

"From your answer, I can tell that you don't know." Jiraiya looked at him in confusion. "Naruto didn't leave on a mission. He left permanently. He abandoned Konoha." Jiraiya staggered back as if he had been caught by one of the girls in the bath house and clobbered over the head. He worked his mouth for a full minute before he was actually able to get anything out.

"Th-that's impossible!" He croaked. Neji just laughed. "What the heck is so funny!" Jiraiya snarled back. Neji shook his head while waiting for his laughter to subside.

"Naruto really does defy all concepts of what is possible and what isn't, doesn't he?"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean!"

"You think it's impossible for him to have left, I thought it was impossible for him to beat me, Gaara thought it was impossible for _anyone_ to beat him, and yet Naruto did all of them. He is living proof that nothing is impossible." Jiraiya snorted.

"He's also living proof that people are stupid." he sighed. "I guess I'll have to go drag him back." he muttered.

"Why do you have to do that?" Neji asked.

"Because he's going to get himself killed trying to run like that. And I can't just let him die."

"Why not? You tried to deny he was your student. You must not care too much about him." Jiraiya studied Neji for a second before answering.

"Your sharp, kid. Yeah, I denied he was my student, but only because he isn't. He convinced me to train him for the exams. As for protecting him, your right, I'm not just doing it for him. I owe it too his father...even though I am doing it just to help him as well." Neji blinked.

"You know who Naruto's father is? Why haven't you told him?"

"Because that is an S-rank secret. Once certain conditions have been met, I'll be able to tell him, and he can do with the knowledge whatever he wants. But until then he isn't getting told. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an idiot to find." Jiraiya started to walk off, but was stopped by Neji's hand on his arm.

"You really think you'll be helping him?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"You do realize that Danzo will probably declare you a missing nin if you leave, right?" Jiraiya blinked. "You really think it will help him if they are looking for you too?" Jiraiya opened his mouth, then closed it again, before finally answering.

"Well, I got to do something, don't I?"

"Not necessarily. It might be best to wait for a while, see what happens from all this, and then decide what action to take. After all, it's not like the hunter nins are having an easy time of it." Jiraiya blinked.

"What do you mean, the hunter nins aren't having an easy time? He's a genin, how hard could it be?" Neji smirked.

"Well, for one he brought Iruka with him."Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"Well, that would help explain things." Neji raised an eyebrow, but Jiraiya waved him off.

"What else?" Neji shrugged and continued.

"Second, Naruto has been leaving around two hundred false trails every once in a while. Even their scent is copied. So the hunter nins have to follow every trail."

"What!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "How the crap has he left so many?"

"Probably shadow clones carrying objects that have taken their scent, like bed sheets, clothes, and headbands." Jiraiya whistled.

"That's a lot of shadow clones."

"Yeah, which leads us to the third reason. Naruto and Iruka are constantly on the move, even with Naruto leaving all the false trails. If things keep up like this, Naruto and Iruka might never be found." Jiraiya nodded.

"I can see your point. If I were to leave now, even I might not be able to find them, and I'd be looked for myself." He sighed. "I guess your right. I'll have to wait."

Neji smiled. Nice to know at least one of the Sannin was on their side.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

Iruka landed softly on the other side of the river and slid Naruto off his back, laying him down on the ground and shaking him awake. Naruto yawned, stretched, and then pulled a couple of scrolls out of his bag, unsealing them to reveal what was left of the items they had taken from his home. Iruka tossed Naruto his own scrolls, then left him to his trail laying and walked over to the river. He crouched, formed a few hand seals, and laid his hand on the surface of the river. The water frothed for a moment, then became still. Iruka nodded, stood back up, and returned to Naruto, who had also finished. They lept into the trees and continued on their journey.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

The Anbu landed on the tree and swore. It was gone again. He jumped back a couple of trees, pausing when he picked the scent back up. He turned and studied the area where the scent was going. It was only by complete accident that he saw it. In a fork of a branch in one of the trees were two ramen containers. The Anbu sighed and lept to the spot. Sure enough, there was blood smeared on the lids, holding the shavings of skin that had carried the smell of people but hidden the smell of the blood. The Anbu pulled out a scroll and sealed the containers into it. He then lept away to rejoin with his squad mates who had also hit a dead end.

This was honestly one of the most frustrating missions the Anbu had ever been on. Even when he had completely lost all traces of his prey, they had not been nearly as _frustrating_ as this genin and chunin. Though it had gotten better once they had made it past the first month and the false trails had started to become rare.

Of course, even though they were annoying him to no end, the Anbu had to admit that he did feel some admiration for them as well. When they had started to run low on normal items that already had their scent, they started doing what they had done with the ramen cups. And it was definitely proving effectives. One of his team mates had four separate pairs of _sticks_ for Kami's sake.

Fortunately for the Anbu, it hadn't rained in a long time, meaning the trail was still there. So even though their prey had led them all over Fire Country, up and down hills, and even through a couple of caves, the Anbu were always on their trail.

With a soft thud, the Anbu landed at the divergence point. Most of the Anbu team had returned from their own hunts already. The Anbu settled down to wait for the rest of the team to arrive so that they could divvy up the trails again, or, if an Anbu found the right trail and didn't return, to set out after him.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

Naruto yawned, stretched, and sat up. He felt a grin split his face when he opened his eyes. It hadn't been a dream after all, they had really stopped at a hotel to sleep for the first time in three months. Never before had a room looked so beautiful to the young rouge genin. It was a plain room, with bare, tan walls, two beds, a small table with a lamp on it, and a small writing desk with accompanying chair. He knew that for most of the clans in Konoha that lodgings like this would be pathetic. But it was definitely a step up from sleeping underneath the stars for three months. Especially when it was only on the back of someone who was still running. That was what their life had been like. They had not stopped to sleep once, just kept moving and occasionally hampering ANBU pursuit or switching who was carrying who. All that physical training Iruka had him do before they left had really paid off. Naruto doubted he would have been able to carry Iruka long distances before it.

Naruto jumped out of bed, trying to smooth out his wrinkled clothes. All of his possessions had been used to carry scents, so all he had left was what he was wearing. It was his black t-shirt, a pair of orange shorts, and his sandals. His headband had been one of the first things he had left behind, as a symbol that he had left Konoha for good. He was kinda disappointed that he lost the item that he had worked so hard to get, and his hair falling into his eyes was rather annoying, but when his village was set up he would get a new one, and it would be one that he could design himself. But until then, he really had to do something about his hair.

A quick glance at the other bed revealed that Iruka had already headed out. Figuring that he was downstairs getting breakfast, Naruto grabbed his bag and headed out the door. Sure enough, when he got down to the small cafeteria he found Iruka sitting alone at a round table eating eggs with toast, pancakes, sausage, and bacon. After weeks of having only nutrient bars to eat, supplemented by the occasional herb that Iruka found, the meal looked heavenly. Naruto grabbed his own plate, piled it high, and joined Iruka. He didn't even care that there wasn't any ramen.

Over the course of the meal, Naruto mentioned the problem with his hair. Iruka suggested that he get it cut at a barber's that Iruka had noticed when they had entered town. Naruto headed off to do just that while Iruka went through town to get info on exactly where they were so that they could plan their next move. Over the course of his investigation he learned that they had traveled across the entire width of River Country, and now where right on the border between it and Wind Country. Figuring that Naruto's hair cut would be done soon he headed to the barber's. The sight he found was not expected and could be quite a bit of a problem.

Naruto was standing only a couple feet from a very familiar team from Suna.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

Neji was on a hunt. The conversation that he had had with Jiraiya had assuaged some of his fears that the Sanin would prove to be a danger of some form or another. But it had raised two questions in Neji's mind that wouldn't go away. Who was Naruto's father, why would the Sanin feel like he owed him anything, and why wasn't anybody allowed to know about it? Also, why would Iruka-sensei being with Naruto explain why the ANBU were having a hard time? The man was an amazing teacher, but really only a mediocre warrior. Surely the ANBU would make short work of the man in a fight, wouldn't they?

It was the hunt for the answers to these questions that had led Neji to his current location, the mausoleum of Ninja knowledge, the labyrinth of learning, the Great Library of Konoha. Unfortunately, the section he was in, called Ninja History, was mostly like the graveyard for old scrolls that few people wanted to read. Every time he brushed against something, dust billowed into the air, causing him to sneeze, which led him to bump into more objects on occasion. It was obvious that no one paid much attention to the place, because along with the dust, the section had no real sorting system, and even if it had it wouldn't have matter much since most of the scrolls were scattered in piles on almost every surface as if they had just been tossed in, leaving the shelfs almost completely bare.

Naturally, this made finding anything incredibly difficult.

Neji had been spending most of his time since talking to the great toad sage going through the mess. Any knowledge he could figure out could only help Naruto, after all. Not to mention the occasional jutsu scroll he had run across and hidden in his room until he could send them to Naruto.

He had started off in an area close to the door, first removing all the scrolls that remained on the shelf, then going through them one by one to make sure they held nothing of importance. If they didn't, they got placed on the now empty shelf. If it looked like they contained something interesting he would sneak them out of the library and go over them closely when he was at home. So far he hadn't learned much, but he had found a few scrolls that had information on Danzo.

It wasn't much, just a couple snippets from his genin days. Like he had always wanted to be Hokage, and he had been with the Nidaime Hokage and his squad when the Sandaime got the job. The man had been at odds with the men wearing the hat ever since.

Neji sighed. _I'm wasting my time. I haven't found anything really worth while at all, except a few minor jutsu scrolls that don't really have any spectacular techniques on them...maybe I should just stop...wait a second...what is this?_

Neji had been casually looking over a random scroll that contained some history about the third shinobi world war. It had looked like it had contained nothing of real importance, but something had caught his eye. It was a small section detailing a series of confrontations. Apparently a force of Iwa nin had pushed Konoha forces back several miles, all the way to a small river. Most of the Konoha force had fallen in battle, and it had seemed like the others would die as well. But then a brand new chunin by the name of Umino Iruka stepped forward and...

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

It was a calm, peaceful afternoon. The sun shown brightly down on the world underneath it, and there wasn't more than a very faint breeze. Most trees barely stirred.

The trees on the border between Fire Country and River Country were a different story. They shook heavily, soft thumps coming from them, as a group of Konoha ANBU lept through them in chase of a prey who had passed through several weeks before.

The group was moving at high speed when the trees ended. The river was just a short jump from the trees, and thus a logical place for a ninja to land. Two tracker ninja, a little ways before the rest, did just that.

They didn't get any farther.

Blood suddenly exploded from their feet, as if someone had brutally shoved several kunai into them. The ANBU screamed as their legs buckled, dropping them face-first onto the water. More blood exploded upward from the bodies in the same way it had their feet, killing them instantly. They sank slowly beneath the water as the current pulled them down stream.

The team leader, following almost right behind, swore as he saw what happened. Snagging a tree branch as he dropped past, he swung himself around to safety, hooking a foot around the new recruit that had been beside him. All around the rest of the group was doing the same.

"What the heck just happened?" one of the ANBU demanded. "How the crap did they just die?"

"It must have been Iruka."

"Wha?" the ANBU asked the team leader, shocked. "How could he have done this? He's just an academy instructor!" the team leader shook his head.

"You don't know a lot about what happened to some of our most notable shinobi during the third war, do you?" the ANBU shook his head. "Well, not all of them rose to major prominence like the Yondaime did. In fact, most of them slid back into oblivion, preferring to just get a bit away from the fighting, at least for a while. One of these was actually a really big annoyance to Kumo, I don't remember exactly what he was called. Something to do with water. Anyway, no one else has been able to figure out his trick, but somehow he is able to plant techniques into water and have them stay there until something triggers them, something like a person landing on them. After the war, he decided that he had enough of the fighting and killing. Of course, the assassination teams Kumo kept sending to try to get rid of him probably had something to do with it. But anyway, he decided that he would much rather stay at home and teach at the academy. Dang it, I feel stupid. It's been so long, I completely forgot about his reputation." the rest of the group shook themselves from their shocked stupors when they realized he was done.

"But, I had heard that Iruka wasn't that much of a fighter." one of the ANBU murmured. The leader snorted.

"Not in a head to head fight, no. He doesn't really have many fighting jutsu. But he didn't become a chunin for nothing. He's smart, and he doesn't need to see you to kill you. We'll have to avoid going over the water. Dang it, this is going to take even more time!"

The group once again started launching itself through the trees, but this time they were going out of their way to find a safe path.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

"What exactly is going on here?" Iruka questioned as he appeared near the group, positioning his body so that he could protect both himself and Naruto if the need arose. Everyone's eyes swiveled to him, Naruto's face brightening into a smile while the Suna team studied him without expression.

"Iruka-sensei! It's about time you showed up. I was just talking to Gaara and his team." Iruka's eyebrow went up.

"Isn't this the team that nearly killed you and your team during the chunin exams?" Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but Gaara beat him to it.

"Yes, I did try to kill them. However, the way Naruto fought, and the reasons behind his strength, made me realize that I had made several mistakes. I have tried to change, so as to become as strong as him. Don't worry, we mean you no harm. Though I do have to ask you something." Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head when he heard Gaara complimenting him. Iruka tilted his head and motioned for the Suna nin to go on. "What are you doing here? We heard that Naruto had abandoned Konoha. Is this true? And if so, why?" Naruto's grin faded, and he adjusted his body to a more defensive position as he became more solemn and realized that the people across from him could attack him again. Iruka hesitated for a moment, before answering carefully. He fully realized that the relations between the two groups rested upon his and Naruto's answers. If the Suna didn't like the answer too much they were liable to try to capture them and return them to Konoha.

"Things in Konoha have...changed. The Sandaime Hokage was killed during your attack on the village, and the new Hokage has...changed...several things within Konoha. I don't know his reasons behind wanting to leave, but he convinced me to come with him to help him start a village that would live up to the ideals of the previous Hokage." The Suna team just nodded slightly and turned their attention to Naruto without comment.

"I left the village because I do not trust the new Hokage. It's not just because he doesn't support my own ideals, or the ideals of those I believe in. I don't trust that he would lead the village appropriately. He wasn't in power for long, but already I could see some things that he was doing that could have led the village to ruin in that short time. The main one was that he had the vast majority of the ANBU watching his own ninja. It was obvious that he didn't trust a lot of us. And the way I see it, if a leader doesn't trust most of his fighting force, then he doesn't need to be leading them."

The Suna team tilted their heads, then turned towards each other and held a mini whispered conference. Naruto and Iruka waited anxiously for the team's verdict, knowing full well that their reaction could very well destroy everything that they had hoped to achieve. They could feel the seconds tick by, and the longer it took, the more likely it seemed that their doom was approaching. Everything around them seemed to stand out in clearer focus, as if they were trying to memorize the sight of what might be the last peaceful scene they would be able to see alive. They could see the plain, yet pleasing houses on the street. The possible avenues of escape, and the ones that could at least lessen the damage to the village. They could see the civilians, walking cheerfully about, blissfully unaware that their small, peaceful village could be seconds away from being utterly desolated.

Their attention snapped fully onto the Suna team when they saw them nod and turn back to face their direction. Naruto could feel sweat sliding down his back as Temari stepped forward, talking for the first time.

"We understand your reasons, and support you in your cause. You have our solemn pledge that we will not try to capture you, nor will we give any information that you tell us away to anyone else." Naruto and Iruka both sighed and visibly relaxed.

"So your just going to let us go?" Iruka asked in relief. Kankuro smiled and shook his head.

"Not quite." Iruka raised an eyebrow. "We have noticed a few similar disturbing things in our own government. While a new Kazekage has yet to be elected, a few unsettling characters that would never have even been considered before are now becoming likely candidates. Normally neither that nor the fact that they think of ninja as just tools would bother us, but it goes beyond that." Baki took it up from there.

"Suspicion has been tossed around like a bag of exploding tags. That's not too abnormal, but it's worse now than it had been. Anyone who suggests that the village changes to being less militaristic is suspected of being a traitor. It also seems like Danzo is getting a large amount of influence on the inner workings of Suna. We're not sure just how long we can trust them."

"And what does this have to do with us?" Iruka asked. Gaara turned to him and answered.

"We want to go with you." Iruka staggered back in shock, while Naruto tilted his head in consideration. Iruka turned to watch Naruto. It was his idea, after all, so he figured it should be his decision. Naruto thought about it, mulling the possibilities in his mind and how they could affect his future plans. After a moment he nodded to himself and rose his head to give his answer.

"Perhaps later, but not right now." Gaara opened his mouth to interrupt, but Naruto forestalled him with a hand. "Let me explain. I'm sure that if I had tried, I could have convinced several of me friends in Konoha to leave with me, but I didn't. Why not? Because it was much easier to sneak out of Konoha with just two people instead of more. Including just one more person would have made things more complicated. And while yes, we are out of Konoha, we aren't out of the woods yet. We are still on the run, still being followed, and until we find somewhere to set up and are able to put up some security, it will be much easier for just Iruka and I to travel together than for all six of us too. However, once we do get things set up and ready for you, I would be happy to have you guys come and join me. Just remember, it will be under my conditions." The Suna shinobi reluctantly nodded at this logic. Seeing this, Naruto turned to Baki.

"How high up in the Suna government are you?" Baki raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I am only a Jonin, but I have a good bit of influence in the counsel. Once I am no longer needed as a sensei I will probably become a member of it. Why?"

"I have someone in a good position to give me information on Danzo movements back in Konoha, and I think it would be best if I had someone giving inside information in Suna as well, especially if I'm going to be receiving runaways from there. Would you mind filling that position?" Baki looked surprised, but nodded his head in agreement. "Thank you. Now then, would you happen to know where a good port to the east is?"

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

The ANBU had reached the village. It had taken them longer than it should have, because they had to try to avoid the water traps Iruka had put in place. Even then, they had lost several more men, and most of them were hurt to some degree. Not only had there been traps on the rivers, but there had been some in the trees. Like a canteen of water that exploded when an ANBU got too close and flung blades of ice up to ten yards. Their morale was running low, they were hurt and irritable, and they were starting to get tired.

So it was no real surprise that almost everyone was freaking out and wanting to turn back.

They had tracked their preys scents to a village. No big deal, at first. It meant that the prey had slowed down, and weren't as far ahead as they could have been. But then the ANBU had found four other scents, and these left with their prey. It seemed as though they had four new enemies. And with the amount of trouble just two had been giving them, trying to find six might very well kill them.

So the group of ANBU was currently a mile away from the village yelling and screaming at each other for various reasons. The only thing any of them seemed to agree on was that they didn't want to go on.

So of course it was the one thing that they absolutely had to do.

Eventually the leader managed to make them see that they had to go on, and so with a lot of grumbling the group set off again.

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

"Thanks for taking us here. Now you should get back to Suna before they start to wonder why you are taking so long." The team from Suna nodded solemnly. They didn't bother to try to convince the two people with whom they were talking to change their minds and take them with them, as they had already tried several times during the trip.

The group was standing at the end of a dock. Tied to the dock was a medium sized boat, prepared and ready to leave. All it needed was its last two passengers.

"Don't forget to contact me when you get settled in." Gaara said, making Naruto smirk and respond, "I won't forget, now stop nagging me and get moving." Turning his back, Naruto walked onto the ship, followed by Iruka. The Suna team watched as the ship set sail, then turned away and left the village, one thought resonating throughout all of their minds.

_I hope they make it to Tea safely._

~o~The Village Hidden in the Waves~o~

The ANBU team sighed a collective sigh of relief. Normally, they would be worried, or even angry, that their prey had escaped them, though it had more to do with the punishment that came with it. But they all knew that nothing Danzo could cook up could compare to the hell they had just lived through for the past months. They didn't even bother trying to track the four extra scents. After all, they had not been ordered to track them, and they only led them to a port. The ANBU team just turned around and started the journey home.

**A/N: so, the plot thickens, and naruto and iruka finally escape from the ANBU, with a little help. so, what do you guys think of iruka's abilities? this is my way of getting around the fact that iruka seems to be a worthless fighter. i didn't want him to just be able to be a teacher, but it's been made very plain in canon that iruka is not much of a head-on fighter...**

**anyway, shoutout to DhampyrX2 for inspiring the Neji/Jiraiya scene. how did i do?  
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**so to answer a few questions i recieved:  
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**-rev: You know, given the map showed behind Kushina when she did the flashback about her past, Wave Country could very easily BE Whirlpool Country, which means the ruins of Uzushiogakure could be there for Naruto and Iruka to resurrect.**

** -rep: according to the map i am using, which has a link on my account page if you want to look at it, Wave and Whirlpool are two different countries. so no Naruto resurrecting old clan village or anything. sorry.  
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**-rev: Hinata isn't a pairing is she?  
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**-rep: Hinata may or may not be a pairing. to see, you'll just have to read on. however, i hope that you do not let the pairings that i have chosen for this story to stop you from reading and enjoying it.  
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